Wheelies: The Mexican Sentra Edition

Nissan says it plans to build 175,000 Sentras per year at its plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Nissan North America

By BENJAMIN PRESTON

November 12, 2013

A roundup of motoring news from around the web:

■ Nissan’s plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico, is ready to begin small car production this week, the company said. Having just spent $2 billion upgrading the plant, Nissan says it plans to increase annual Sentra production there to 175,000 units by next March. (Automotive News, subscription required)

■ Toyota Motorsport announced this week that it would offer a rally version of the Toyota GT86 (sold in the United States as the Scion FR-S), an R3 rally class-ready model called the CS-R3. The car, which will be available in 2015, includes a 6-speed sequential gearbox, improved brakes, a modified engine and a limited slip differential. (Autoblog)

■ Kia says its goal for the Soul EV battery-power electric car is for it to travel 120 miles on a single charge. By comparison, the Nissan Leaf currently has an Environmental Protection Agency-certified 75-mile range. The Soul EV, which is the first E.V. that Kia will sell outside Korea, can be charged in five hours from a 240-volt outlet, Automotive News says. (Automotive News, subscription required)

■ In Britain, electric car sales have jumped 25 percent in the third quarter. For the quarter, the government recorded 1,149 new registrations under its grant program, the highest number since the program began in 2011. The program offers E.V. buyers an incentive of nearly $8,000. (The Guardian)

■ Mitsubishi said in the three-year business plan it released this week that it would focus on S.U.V.'s and electric vehicles over the next several years. According to the plan, 20 percent of the company’s vehicles will be either all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2020. (Autoblog Green)

■ In an apparent stirring of the executive pot, Saad Chehab, chief of Fiat’s Chrysler and Lancia brands, will leave the two marques to assume command of marketing at Maserati, which also falls under the Fiat umbrella. Chrysler said in a statement that Al Gardner, who had been at the helm of the company’s Southeast business center, will make the jump to chief of the Chrysler brand. Also, Peter Grady will become president and chief executive of Maserati North America in addition to his current responsibilities as the head of Chrysler’s dealer network and fleet operations. (Automotive News, subscription required)

■ Lisa Leathery, who ran event management and marketing for Carlisle Events for 15 years, was appointed executive director of the Elegance at Hershey by its board this week. Ms. Leathery will be the event’s first official executive director since Jed Rapoport stepped down after 2011, its first year. The Hershey event in Pennsylvania, which will be held next June, consists of a hill climb and concours. (Hemmings Daily)